Here’s where candidates for offices at stake in the March 18 primary election are appearing this week:

LIMESTONE DEMOCRATS

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THE BALLOT BOX

THE BALLOT BOX

Here’s where candidates for offices at stake in the March 18 primary election are appearing this week:

LIMESTONE DEMOCRATS

■ Limestone Democratic Club’s 2014 Fish Fry will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday at St. Jude Knights of Columbus Hall, 3523 Hill St., Peoria. Tickets are $8 for adults and $4 for children under 10. Door prizes will be given away.

The Ballot Box is a weekly listing of election-related events. Deadline to submit information for Monday publication is by noon Thursday. Notices should include candidates attending and political offices sought, or referendums proposed, as well as time and place of the event. Email notices to Mickey Wieland at mwieland@pjstar.com or send faxes to 686-3296. To confirm arrivals, call 686-3246.

If there’s one consistent message we’ve been hearing from folks on the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission for the last few months, it’s that the organization needs to get back to its core functions.

Partly that’s to steer away from the controversies with which they’ve been associated. But mostly it’s because getting involved in economic development has proven to be costly and helped — alongside legal bills from the shenanigans of last year — to drain the commission’s resources. The group has had to go back to the Peoria, Tazewell and Woodford county boards to seek extra funds just to keep the doors open.

But both the efforts to refocus on business like transportation planning and getting the cash to do so almost took a critical hit last week. That’s because the Tazewell County Board — the last board to vote on a cash infusion — very nearly attached a string to its $100,000 in funding that would have been a poison pill.

The resolution that passed the executive committee would have made that cash contingent upon the commission accepting a transitional oversight committee that would have neutered it almost entirely. It would have allowed that committee to decide what business came to commission committees — and thus the commission floor — and given them control over all contracts the commission entered into.

It also would’ve given them unilateral power to rewrite bylaws — essentially letting them restructure the membership of the 21-member body that’s balanced equally among Tazewell, Woodford and Peoria counties.

That, rightly, didn’t sit well with folks from the other counties, particularly Woodford County. It would have been frozen out of that oversight group.

Tazewell officials passed the funding without strings attached, a last-minute change. But that didn’t stop the hurt feelings and growing rancor over the fact that the move had been contemplated at all.

Woodford County Board Chairman Stan Glazier was especially outspoken about it Thursday — his bluntness was refreshing — although the concern runs deeper than that.

This reaction to the proposal was entirely predictable, and entirely avoidable.

It’s natural for politicians to play politics, and with 21 of them together on a panel — not all of whom have worked together before — it’s a whole new playground.

But all members from all counties would do well to remember what they’re pulling for: The betterment of the region and a strong, healthy commission that has people working together.

A re-commitment from all parties to better communication, and a willingness to raise their grievances directly, would be welcome in the future. (C.K.)

Page 2 of 3 - Watch and wait

Following a federal judge’s ruling relating to Cook County that permits gay marriage in that county starting immediately, the Champaign County clerk — a Republican up for re-election — announced last week that his office also would begin issuing the documents, relying on 14th Amendment grounds.

That got us wondering what other officials are doing, including in Peoria County. Would they stick with the mid-year enactment date for gay marriage, or would they begin sooner?

Peoria County Clerk Steve Sonnemaker pointed out that in terms of jurisdiction, the court ruling doesn’t directly apply to those counties within the Central District of Illinois. He raised a more pragmatic reason to hold off a couple of months, though — concern about whether an appeal of the ruling could go the other way.

“I would certainly hate to issue a marriage license now if the law doesn’t go into effect until June and then come back and find out there’s a ruling against it and it’s null and void,” he said. “(If I did it) I’m taking a little bit of risk with other people’s lives.”

Sonnemaker points out that it’s his job to administer the laws applying to his office in as fair and efficient a way as possible, and that “when we do it, we want to make sure it’s right.” (C.K.)

A more clear-eyed view

It was an important subject broached at a less-than-opportune time.

The Peoria City Council heard a presentation last week from community-development staff regarding economic development. The policy session featured interesting and relevant points about creation of an economic-development strategy.

Targeted incentive programs for businesses were discussed. So were possible creation of a business-registration online database and a virtual development center accessible around the clock.

“If someone wants to transact business with the city of Peoria and it’s not between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, they don’t have much choice except to leave a message,” Community Development Director Ross Black said. “That’s simply not acceptable in 2014.”

Perhaps not acceptable, or at least not desirable, to some council members and others was the timing of the policy session.

It began after the council conducted its usual business during its regular meeting, which began at 6:15 p.m. and lasted more than two hours. As the clock ticked toward 10 p.m., attention spans appeared to tick away.

“This is important stuff,” Mayor Jim Ardis said late in the proceedings. “If everyone wants to be crisp, should we have this after a regular meeting?

Page 3 of 3 - “As I look around, I see a lot of glassed-over eyes, not because it’s a boring subject. The most important subject right now is economic development.”

Last month, a City Council policy session was devoted to landscaping and outdoor signs, among other aesthetics. Another one scheduled for Tuesday night is to focus on stormwater funding. To be held March 18 is yet another policy session, about building inspections.

All are worthy of attention. In retrospect, perhaps economic development also should have had its own clear-headed, eyes-wide-open stage. (N.V.)

Chris Kaergard (C.K.) covers politics and Peoria County government for the Journal Star. He can be reached at 686-3135 or ckaergard@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisKaergard. Nick Vlahos (N.V.) covers Peoria City Hall. He can be reached at 686-3285 or nvlahos@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @VlahosNick. Read their blog online at www.pjstar.com/blogs/wordonweb.